Preservation group requests larger venue for township sessions

CONCORD — In anticipation of large crowds each night, Save the Valley has requested a change of venue for the Aug. 18 planning commission and Sept. 2 supervisors meetings.

Organization Vice President Ken Hemphill recently sent an email to the township asking the sessions be moved from the municipal building to Garnet Valley High School, 552 Smithbridge Road. The correspondence was co-signed by 44 group members.

Both sessions are expected to involve discussions surrounding Vineyard Commons, a development proposed for a 230-acre parcel bordered by Route 202 and Smithbridge Road and straddled by Beaver Valley Road. The property is owned by Woodlawn Trustees, which with equitable owners Eastern States Development Co Inc. and McKee Concord Homes LP, has proposed construction of 171 homes on lots measuring approximately one-half acre. Nearly 117 acres of undeveloped land would be retained as community open space.

The preliminary land development and subdivision plans were accepted as complete for review by the supervisors in June. The action started a 90-day clock for evaluation by the planners and the board.

The need for the larger stage is based on the attendance figures from the meeting in June 2013 when the original plan for the property was to have been presented. Hundreds of individuals filled Garnet Valley Middle School only to learn the design had been withdrawn.

“The proposal for this site has thousands of opponents who would like their chance to voice their concerns about the impending loss of this cherished open space,” wrote Hemphill. “With 4,500 people closely following this preservation effort on Facebook, we want to have as much seating as possible for concerned residents and stakeholders.”

Save the Valley has been pursuing other options in an effort to preserve the land. The group held rallies at several locations in Wilmington, July 2, where Woodlawn Trustees is based, and is planning additional gatherings through the summer. The group has also been in contact with organizations which might be interested in becoming involved in facilitating the conservation of the wildlife refuge lands in Beaver Valley, said Hemphill.